Infant Diagnostic Audiology Center

All newborns will have hearing tests, but not all facilities can provide the same depth of testing. Here at Portage Health we have the best resources in the Upper Peninsula, as our audiology team is the only one recognized by the Michigan Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program (EHDI) as an Infant Diagnostic Audiology Center.

Newborn Hearing Screening

A state mandate in Michigan requires every newborn to have their hearing screened. At Portage Health we use an Automated Auditory Brainstem Response system, which is the “gold standard.” The area’s most experienced obstetric nurses administer this test, shortly after birth in our Family Birthing Center.

 

Advanced Diagnosis On Site

If a newborn is referred after his/her Family Birthing Center screen, the next step is in the hands of our expert audiologists who perform a follow-up screening. On occasion this test does not show better results and the newborn’s hearing is tested further. Our audiologists, Nancy Reed, M.A., and Melissa Collard, AuD., have been through intensive training with our Vivosonic ABR instrument. This state-of-the-art instrument provides a much more detailed look at a newborn’s entire auditory pathway, allowing superior evaluation.

 

Following Through with Total Care

Results from the tests are reviewed and a plan of action is devised. Our audiologists, in addition to a team of physicians, educators and parents, are able to fit hearing aids for children as young as four weeks. Our staff continues to work with these children to optimize their ability to learn speech, language and develop as normally as possible.